{Kaye Hammerton, 21/7/24}

Earlier today I was travelling by train into Leeds with my wife. At one station a young trans woman boarded the train and sat in a seat facing us both. I would guess around the age of 30 or so. She lady was having some problems with the zip on her handbag being caught in the sleeve of her lacy blouse. Ever helpful, my wife was able to untangle the sleeve and zip without damage to the blouse. We fell into conversation and only then learnt that it was Leeds Pride Day, which probably explained the busy for a Sunday, train. It transpired that the lady was relatively new in our part of Yorkshire, having moved from Cardiff just a couple of months ago, and was still trying to find support groups etc. I asked if she had considered the Beaumont Society, to which she responded, "Yes, but they are a group for crossdressers, and not trans people like myself". Sadly, the train was just pulling into Leeds, so that I did not have the opportunity of trying to change that view. But it did make me wonder if this was a general perception held in the trans community.